St Mary's School

Battersea Exchange is a mixed-use development sitting within the wider Nine Elms regeneration. The site comprises residential and commercial space as well as new, two-form entry primary school.

There is currently an operational school on this site, which will be rebuilt in phases to ensure continuity for the pupils. The new 2,200 m² school is arranged over two floors with playgrounds at roof level and a further 800 m² of grounds and sports fields.

We were appointed to undertake preliminary environmental and temperature prediction studies, followed by dynamic simulation modelling to optimise the passive ventilation and natural daylighting benefits conducive to a pleasant learning environment. Our subsequent MEP and lift services designs also include a unique ‘energy wall’ which enables the children and teachers to control the lighting. This wall also indicates the school’s energy usage and savings in a series of child-friendly graphics, using data obtained directly from the school’s control systems.

These design measures, in concert with the provisions we have made for connecting to a low carbon district heating network in the future, have earned the school a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating.